The first major loss to the Royal Navy HMS Courageous. Courageous was built by Armstrong Whitworth, and laid down 18 March 1915. She was launched on 5 February 1916 and commissioned January 1917. She was converted into a carrier between June 1924 and May 1928. There were two ships in the Courageous Class. Both ships of the Class were completed originally as Large Light Cruisers mounting two twin 15 inch guns. When these ships were found to be inadequate and there was a need for fast carriers, both were converted along the same lines as HMS Furious. The eight 15 inch guns were removed from these ships were eventually mounted in the battleship Vanguard. On 17th September 1939 Kapitänleutnant Otto Schuhart in the Type VII U-boat U29 torpedoed and sank HMS Courageous in the South-West approaches (Southwest of Ireland), 150nm WSW of Mizen Head, Ireland. The carrier went down in only twenty minutes and 518 of her 1,200 compliment went with her, including her commander Captain W T Makeig-Jones. http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Ships/COURAGEOUS.html
The officers from U-29 were congratulated by Hitler on the first awarded Iron Crosses to the U-Boat force. At the left is commander Kptlt. Otto Schuhart, who received both the Crosses, then the LI, shaking Hitler's hand is the II WO Ltnt. Ludwig Forster and on the right is the I WO and later Oak Leaves owner Ltnt. Georg Lassen Otto Schuhart Korvettenkapitän (Crew 29) Sank 12 ships for a total of 85.265 tons Born 1 Apr, 1909 Hamburg Died 26 Feb, 1990 Ranks 10 Oct, 1929 Seekadett 1 Jan, 1931 Fähnrich zur See 1 Apr, 1933 Oberfähnrich zur See 1 Oct, 1933 Leutnant zur See 1 Jun, 1935 Oberleutnant zur See 1 Aug, 1938 Kapitänleutnant 1 Apr, 1943 Korvettenkapitän Decorations 26 Sep, 1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class 26 Sep, 1939 Iron Cross 1st Class 16 Dec, 1939 U-boat War Badge 16 May, 1940 Knights Cross U-boat Commands U-8 2 Sep, 1938 - 29 Oct, 1938 No war patrols U-25 10 Dec, 1938 - 3 Apr, 1939 No war patrols U-29 4 Apr, 1939 - 2 Jan, 1941 7 patrols (222 days) Otto Schuhart began his naval career in April 1929. Later he spent two years on the battleship Schleswig-Holstein. In 1936 he joined the U-boat force. On his first war patrol he sank the British aircraft carrier HMS Courageous (22,500 tons). This was the first outstanding sinking of the U-boat arm, and the whole crew received the EK II (Iron Cross) and as commander Schuhart received both the EK I and the EK II. In 1941 he became an instructor in the 1st ULD (Unterseeboots-Lehr-Division), and in June 1943 became commander of the 21st Flotilla. The last months of the war he spent in the Marineschule Flensburg-Mürwik. Otto Schuhart joined the Bundesmarine in 1955, retiring in 1967 with a rank of Kapitän zur See. http://uboat.net/men/schuhart.htm
